Landing the 7th pick in your 2023 fantasy football draft can be tricky, but if executed properly, it can lead to an elite lineup. There are several different ways to go in this spot, but the preferred way to build my team is by grabbing an elite WR, then a workhorse RB, and then playing the board from there.
Read more: “How to draft” from the… 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 spot
So, let’s take a deep dive into the harrowing recesses of my brain and walk through what I deem to be the perfect 2023 fantasy football draft from the 7 spot in a Half-PPR league (QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE, and FLEX)
1.07: Tyreek Hill, WR, MIA
2.06: Derrick Henry, RB, TEN
3.07: Tee Higgins, WR, CIN
4.06: Joe Burrow, QB, CIN
5.07: TJ Hockenson, TE, MIN
6.06: Diontae Johnson, WR, PIT
7.07: Isaiah Pacheco, RB, KC
8.06: Brandin Cooks, WR, DAL
9.07: Zach Charbonnet, RB, SEA
10.06: Elijah Mitchell, RB, SF
11.07: Jameson Williams, WR, DET
12.06: Roschon Johnson, RB, CHI
13.07: Aaron Rodgers, QB, NYJ
14.06: Alec Pierce, WR, IND
EARLY ROUNDS
In half and full PPR leagues, I want to leave the first round with an elite WR from most draft positions. This is especially true in leagues with three WRs or multiple flexes. From the 7 slot, target names like Cooper Kupp, Tyreek Hill, or Stefon Diggs. While these are my preferred options, especially in a 3 WR format, Travis Kelce or Austin Ekeler are also good options here.
Clearly, I ended up with Tyreek Hill. In my opinion, this a dream start from the 7th pick. Everyone is aware of the game-changing speed and athleticism. With an offense featuring Hill, Tua Tagovailoa, and Jaylen Waddle, the sky is the limit for Hill and this Dolphins offense. The beautiful thing about this Miami offense is that Hill and Waddle are essentially the only targets. Hill commanded a 31.6 percent target share and racked up 170 targets last season.
The Tua-Tyreek combo was deadly last season:
Hill was absolutely dominant with Tua on the field and was pacing to compete with Justin Jefferson. This will be no different in 2023.
Following up an elite WR, I prefer to lock down horse RB who can hold down my stable of ball carriers. In this spot, my preferred option is Tony Pollard. He was selected just one slot ahead of me, so I “settled” for Derrick Henry. There isn’t much to talk about with Henry. He is superhuman. If he stays healthy, Henry will be a lock for 350+ touches and is seemingly immune to Tennessee’s abysmal offensive line. The only question regarding Henry is whether or not his health or talent deteriorates, given his ridiculous volume over the years. I think it is impossible to pass up Henry in the middle of the second after going WR in the first. If he stays healthy, he’s almost guaranteed to be a top-five RB, an immense value to any team.
Finding Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins in the third and fourth rounds was a great way to close the early rounds. When it comes to Higgins, he has the opportunity to have 120+ targets, 1000+ yards, and could easily have 10+ TDs. This is a phenomenal second option at WR on any fantasy roster. Calvin Ridley was available in this spot as well. I think it is a toss-up, but I lean towards Higgins. However, Ridley is a great pick here, as well.
In regards to Burrow, I was very happy with this pick. If Justin Herbert had not gone one pick before, I would have gone Herbert here. However, I still think Burrow is a great option. He is one of the league’s best QBs, in a pass-heavy and high-scoring offense. If I had not been able to grab Henry in the second to lock down a bell-cow RB, the pick might have gone differently. However, with elite options at WR and RB, I think grabbing one of the top-tier QBs in the 4th is a great option.
MIDDLE ROUNDS
The middle rounds begin with TJ Hockenson for me. After sliding about nine picks from his ADP, I think Hockenson was a great value. Similar to my philosophy with Burrow, I am comfortable picking up my TE here due to the quality of my top three picks. Coupled with Hockenson sliding almost a full round, this pick was pretty easy to make. In ten games with the Vikings, Hockenson averaged 13.2 points per game and overtook Adam Thielen as the Vikings’ second option. Although rookie Jordan Addison is now in the picture, Hockenson will likely still draw six to eight targets per game, which can be said of a few TEs. With a bad defense and a pass-happy offense in Minnesota, Hockenson is a great option in the 5th round.
Diontae Johnson in the 6th round is one of my favorite picks in fantasy football. Diontae Johnson is someone I have been praising throughout the offseason and he is one of “My Guys”:
Go check out that video for the full breakdown. The basic breakdown is based on the expected volume for Johnson (140+ targets). Historical data shows he has a 75 percent chance to finish with 16+ fantasy points per game (WR12 last season) and a 96 percent chance to be a WR2 or better. Given his WR33 price, this is an easy pick as my WR3.
Isiah Pacheco fills out my RB2 slot. He is not the most exciting pick due to his lack of receiving upside. However, he will be a consistent factor within the Kansas City offense, providing him with a steady floor. Although Kelce will be the primary threat in the red zone, Pacheco will be the main threat on the ground when the Chiefs are near the endzone. There will be many chances to improve his five TDs from last year. Although he is not the most exciting pick, he is a quality option as an RB2 in the 7th round.
In the 8th round, I selected Dallas’ new weapon, Brandin Cooks, as my flex. Cooks is one of the most slept-on players in all of (fantasy) football. No matter the situation, Cooks is almost always a guarantee for 1000+ yards and a handful of scores. Still only 29 and in his best offensive situation since he was a Ram, I expect Cooks to provide the steady production we have seen throughout his career. Once again, he is not the most exciting pick, but he provides the floor to allow me to reach on some young receivers in later rounds.
To pair with the safer pick in Pacheco, my third RB is the high-upside rookie Zach Charbonnet. Charbonnet is Seattle’s newest addition to their running back room and will share time with Kenneth Walker. The role that each back will play is unclear at the moment. However, it seems that Charbonnet will take on most of the receiving work, which is incredibly valuable in a half or full PPR format. While explosive last season, Walker showed signs of struggles last year. If Charbonnet can surpass Walker (unlikely) or Walker misses time, Charbonnet will hold an incredibly valuable role.
LATE ROUNDS
Another secondary running back makes my roster in the 10th round, San Francisco’s Elijah Mitchell. Mitchell is a solid pick here as he provides a respectable floor but an uncapped ceiling if something happens to Christian McCaffrey. In games that both McCaffrey and Mitchell played together, Mitchell still averaged 9.5 fantasy points per game on 10 touches. While Mitchell should not be viewed as a starter on fantasy lineups, he is a viable bye week fill-in, given the quality of the San Francisco rushing attack.
High-upside picks followed Mitchell, with Jameson Williams added to the roster in the 11th round. Williams is the definition of an upside pick. Having hardly played during his young NFL career, Williams is full of question marks. However, Williams has shown that he can be an explosive receiver in this league and take the top off of defenses.
We won’t know how Williams fits into this offense until Week 7. But given the talent and that he is my fifth receiver, I am comfortable holding on to him to see what happens.
A fifth running back was added to the roster in the 12th round, rookie Roschon Johnson. The rookie from Texas has seemingly worked his way to the RB2 in Chicago. There are several intriguing factors with Johnson. First, his college profile indicates he may be the best Bears’ RB in the passing game and pass protection. Matt Eberflus has indicated that pass protection will be highly valued among RBs. On top of this, leadback Khalil Herbert has never handled a significant workload. If he struggles, Johnson may develop a role on the ground. These factors make Johnson a great “wait and see” pick in the later rounds.
The 13th man on the roster was Aaron Rodgers. This was purely by mistake. I was on the move and missed my pick. Some names I prefer here include names like Jaylin Hyatt and Zay Jones. I will take this time to give you a word of advice. If you draft elite players at QB or TE (like I did), there is no need to take a backup unless a quality player takes a massive slide down the draft board. If an elite talent has been acquired at TE and QB, take shots on high-upside players at WR and RB instead.
The last pick of my draft was exactly this: a high-upside WR. Alec Pierce of the Indianapolis Colts plays the role of the vertical threat within this offense. Pierce led the team in ADOT last season, as well as deep targets. This pairs perfectly with Anthony Richardson, who has a cannon for an arm. With a 14th-round pick, Pierce is worth holding on to until we see how this offense looks.
You can find the link to the draft board here.
